swindle English · revision 2407

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ˈswɪndəl/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is a back-formation from [[swindler]] (1774),^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline) [[bor|de|Schwindler|t=giddy person, wild speculator, cheat]],^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(Barnhart 1995) from ''schwindeln'' “to be dizzy; to swindle”,^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(Barnhart 1995) from Old High German ''swintilōn'', a frequentative of ''swintan'' “to languish, vanish”.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(Barnhart 1995) Old English ''swindan'' “to vanish” is related.^(MW Collegiate)^(Barnhart 1995)^(RHWU)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ To act as a swindler; to cheat for money (1782).^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ In German the idea ran from dizziness to wild, irresponsible schemes and so to fraud.^(Barnhart 1995)^(RHWU) The transitive sense “to cheat a person out of money” is recorded in 1803.^(OED 1989) The noun, “a fraudulent scheme”, dates from 1821 in Merriam-Webster and 1833 in the OED,^(MW Collegiate)^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline) and the jocular ''swindle sheet'' “expense account” from 1923.^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline) The OED also records an older, unrelated noun ''swindle'' “giddiness” from 1559.^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1774 – ''swindler''.^(Barnhart 1995)

+ * 1782 – verb, to practise fraud.^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate)

+ * 1803 – verb, to cheat a person out of money.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1821–1833 – noun, a fraud or fraudulent scheme.^(MW Collegiate)^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline)

+ * 1923 – ''swindle sheet'', an expense account.^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Verb===

+ # To cheat someone out of money or property.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+ # To obtain something by fraud.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ===Noun===

+ # A fraudulent scheme or act of cheating.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+ # Something that is not what it appears to be; a fraud.^(OED 1989)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[swindler]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ Random House lists ''cozen'', ''dupe'', ''trick'' and ''gull'' as synonyms of the verb.^(RHWU)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}